Chapter 2: New Experiences
"You should be connected with London in a few minutes sir."
"Thank you."
Admiral Takeda sighed softly, tugging on the brim of his cap. It hadn't exactly been his intention to contact the British without the reason for this message being present...but Indestructible was apparently asleep in Fubuki's room. He knew the way most girls felt after their summoning very well by now...she needed that sleep. And in any event, it would be easier to talk to the British Admiralty alone as well. There was less risk of Indestructible doing something to make the proceedings more difficult. Not that he thought that would happen...but Takeda had not reached his position by not being cautious on occasion.
At this point, it was better to be safe than sorry.
I feel like I'm walking on a minefield with her, even more than some of our kanmusu. One wrong move, and any trust we've built will be gone. And she has every reason to be that distrustful.
He couldn't blame the Imperial government for what they had done.
Kongou was delayed to the point where it had become more economical to just sell her to the British and replace her with the hull order that would eventually become
Kirishima. The
Hiei-class had served every bit as well as a hypothetical
Kongou-class would have. And that should have been the end of it. But with the Abyssals...with the kanmusu...nothing was ever that simple. Now, he had to face a girl who had every right to feel betrayed and abandoned by her country. Or, rather, what might have been her country...by all indications, Indestructible was even more British than Ro-500 was 'Japanese'.
It was not an envious situation to be placed in.
"We're connected now."
Takeda nodded slightly, as the large screen in front of him changed from its blank state. Instead, it now showed an office much like his own, albeit furnished differently. And just as the office was similar-yet-different, so to was the man sitting in it. His uniform clearly marked him as the same rank, much as Takeda would have expected.
After all, he
did know this man.
"Hello, Admiral Takeda," the other man said.
"Good to see you, Admiral Smith," Takeda replied.
The other man nodded, before a weary smile crossed his face, "Now that formalities are out of the way, how are you, Daiki?"
"Well enough Blake. However, this isn't a social call."
"With how late it is there, I doubted it was," Smith shook his head, "So, what is it this time? You know I can't send any of my girls to help you."
Takeda sighed, "That isn't what I'm calling for. Are you alone?"
Smith raised an eyebrow, looking over his shoulder. A single girl stepped into view, dressed in an old-fashioned Royal Navy uniform. Where Indestructible wore a modern-ish World War II uniform, this girl wore one more at place at Trafalgar. Her long blonde hair was tied back, covered by an officer's hat, also much more at place in the Age of Sail. Understandably...Takeda more than recognized the girl. He was quite familiar with her, actually. Anyone who knew the Royal Navy kanmusu corps was.
HMS Hood was just as famous now, if not more so, than she had always been.
"Hood here is the only person with me," Smith replied, "So, is something wrong enough that you don't want anyone but us to know?"
"Not...wrong," Takeda replied, "Difficult, would be the word I chose. Have you summoned every kanmusu from the Second War era?"
The Admiral shook his head, "Of course not, we may not have been the Americans, but we had a lot of warships at the time. We've summoned most of our battleships though...the most prominent one still missing is Indestructible. Her sisters, or at least Irresistible, are constantly begging me to summon her."
"I...see."
"You're not telling me something," the British man narrowed his eyes, "Why are you asking me that question Daiki?"
"We made an attempt to do what the Americans did with Hawaii, and summon Tosa or the original Amagi," the other Admiral replied softly, "That didn't work as planned."
And wasn't that an understatement. Summoning an angry and betrayed feeling Tosa or a crippled Amagi might have been better than what had happened. At least in that case, they would have been unequivocally been Japanese. There would have been none of the issues they were currently dealing with. Issues that he was loathe to bring up, with such a good friend as Admiral Smith. Especially, considering Takeda himself believed that they had long ago forfeited any right to say what Indestructible should do. Japan had given that right away, when they abandoned
Kongou.
Convincing his government of that...
"Did your summoning fail?" Smith broke back into the conversation, "I can't imagine that would be enough reason to call me. Especially since you know we can't spare any girls to help you."
"The summoning was a success...but it wasn't Tosa nor Amagi we summoned," Takeda brought up a picture of who they
had summoned.
Smith's eyes widened noticeably, though it was nothing on Hood. The normally stoic battlecruiser held a hand to her mouth, a shocked little gasp escaping her lips. Her hand was even trembling slightly, green eyes staring at the picture.
"As you can see, it didn't fail. However..."
It would not be Smith who spoke this time. Hood, shaking her head slightly, looked almost in shock.
"She looks just like Irresistible and Implacable..."
"Other than her Japanese features," Smith nodded, turning his full attention on Takeda, "By this, I have to assume you summoned Indestructible?"
The Japanese man sighed softly, "Yes. We're still not sure how. It was certainly not my intention, and I personally oversaw the summoning. How we summoned her instead of Tosa is a mystery."
Before either man could continue discussing the subject, Hood spun on her heel and started marching to the door that Takeda could see behind his old friend's chair. The man in question turned around, watching his fleet commander go. There was a resigned slump to his shoulders, as Hood stopped only long enough to look back over her shoulder. There was a slight wetness to her stoic eyes, as she looked back one more time at the picture of Indestructible.
"I'm going to let her sisters know."
And before Takeda could say anything about attempting to keep this situation 'under wraps' as the Americans would say, the battlecruiser was gone. For his part, Smith sighed and shook his head fondly, before turning back to the screen.
"I expected that," he said, "Honestly, I'm amazed she's as calm as she is. The moment I realized who you had summoned...well, Hood has a special place in her heart for that girl, moreso than even Bismarck."
"And you won't stop her Blake?" Takeda resigned himself to hearing an expected answer.
He got it, Smith snorting softly, "Believe me Daiki, Hood's bravery is matched only by her stubbornness. And as their names can imply, those two girls she's going to talk to are even
worse. I couldn't keep this a secret from them even if I wanted to."
Here, the man leveled a serious stare on his friend, before continuing to speak in a harder tone.
"And the fact you don't want them to know doesn't ring right with me. What are you hiding Daiki?"
And there it was, the problem that Takeda had been loathe to discuss.
"Our government is desperate Blake," the Japanese man began, "We barely have enough kanmusu to properly cover our shores and Okinawa. Securing our supply lanes is stretching our resources thin, and America continues to refuse to send reinforcements. We're running ourselves dry."
"And I wish
we could help with that," Smith replied, narrowing his eyes slightly, "That being said, you had better not be about to say what I think you are."
Takeda sighed, "Our government wants to keep Indestructible here."
"Never going to happen."
Smith's voice was hard, the Admiral Glare leveled on his old friend. Takeda just sighed again, unable to blame him for that reaction in the slightest. It was much the same as his own, when the Diet had told him to keep Indestructible in Japan. He knew, better than anyone, how that idea would go over. How it would go over on
both sides of the world, at that. He knew because it was how
he would feel. How he
did feel. Indestructible shouldn't be forced to stay in Japan. Forcing her to stay in a nation she already felt betrayed her...
How would
anyone react to that? She didn't need to be put through that. It wasn't just his fondness for all the kanmusu talking there either. If anyone deserved to just go home, it was that battleship. Irregardless of the Hiei sisters being in Japan, Indestructible belonged in Britain.
"I know," as such, Takeda sent a weary look at his British friend, "I know."
"I'm not sure you do, Daiki," Smith countered, "What if Yukikaze had been summoned by Taiwan? Or Hibiki by Russia? If they tried to keep those girls because of their own lacking numbers, your government would rightfully be raising bloody hell over it. So what gives them the right to keep Indestructible there? Need I remind you..."
"That Japan abandoned her in the first place?" Takeda finished his friend's sentence, "You don't need to tell me that, old friend. I agree with you, on this and many other matters. Indestructible being kept here would be bad on many different levels. However, I can't tell the Diet what to do. It is very likely that our government will contact your Prime Minister..."
The British Admiral snorted softly, "Good luck with that. Even if the PM allowed it, which he won't, Indestructible wouldn't be there for long. If she is
anything like her sisters and Hood, she'll sail back here even if she has to fight her way out. Not to mention, I can guarantee you that her sisters will be heading to Japan in much the same way. And nothing you can do will keep them from bringing her back."
Now, Takeda might have joked about Smith being unable to keep his kanmusu under control, in better circumstances. At the moment, he knew that his friend wasn't joking in the slightest though. In all likelihood, he would
order the Indestructible sisters to go to Japan and recover their lost sibling.
"Believe me old friend," the Japanese Admiral finally spoke again, voice tired, "I will do everything in my power to ensure she can return. If you need to
send her sisters here, I won't do anything to stop it. Perhaps meeting her sisters will make it easier on Hiei in any case."
"We'll see. I'll call you again tomorrow, Daiki. For now, I need to find Hood and let the PM know," Smith sent a small smile at his old friend, "And thank you, at least for letting me know about this. We were worried about Indestructible...it's good to know she did come back, even if in the wrong country."
With that said, the screen went blank again, leaving a tired old Admiral to pull himself to his feet. He would talk to Indestructible tomorrow as well, and make sure she knew he was doing everything he could to get her home. At least Hiei and her sisters were on patrol for the moment. He could only imagine how much damage they would do. Unintentional damage, perhaps, as those girls didn't have a mean bone in their bodies.
But they didn't need to meet their sister, not until she had adjusted to her situation.
"Are you awake, Indestructible-san?"
"Yes."
Shifting slightly, the old battleship lifted her head from the futon she had spent the night in. Tired rings were around her eyes, the lack of proper sleep rather evident from that. Perhaps noticing that, Fubuki smiled sadly. The destroyer girl was already in her uniform, as she sat down next to her much larger counterpart. Her sad smile faded into an understanding look, as she looked at the other girl. Who, for her part, just sighed softly.
"Problems sleeping?" Fubuki asked.
"..."
The destroyer leaned back, looking at the ceiling, "Well, I hope you have a better day today. Do you want to come to the training with me?"
Indestructible turned her head, "Training?"
"Hai!" the younger girl grinned, "When we're on base, most of us keep training. There's always more to learn. You've never even been in the water, have you?"
"No, I haven't," Indestructible frowned, "How exactly do you...fight like this?"
"Umm...it's kind of hard to explain. We have rigging, that's like our old hulls. When we summon it, we're more like ships than girls. It's easier to use on the water though. You should be able to do it on instinct even!"
The battleship blinked, before looking down on her new body. Her hands clenched in her thin blanket, clutching at it. It felt odd enough being able to do that. The idea of summoning something like her old hull...how did that even work? She couldn't imagine fighting in this body, that seemed...impossible. Granted, just
being like this felt impossible, and Fubuki seemed confident enough. It still boggled the mind though, the idea that she could use something like her old hull in this body, and fight like that.
And, of course, there was another issue to be had...
I don't feel comfortable, being around them with weapons. I don't trust these girls, or their leadership.
To her, despite Fubuki and the Admiral's actions, Japan was still an enemy. The idea of sailing- somehow -in close proximity to who knew how many warships with their weapons armed...didn't exactly appeal to her, overly much. For all that the Admiral said he would punish anyone who so much as looked at her wrong, it didn't make her any happier at the idea.
"...do you not want to train with us?"
Unfortunately, Fubuki's pouty face was quite effective. Large green eyes stared up at her imploringly, her lip quivering slightly. Indestructible's 'older sister' instincts reared their head in full force, as she resisted the urge to hug the girl.
"Fine, I'll train with you."
"Thank you!" Fubuki had no such restraints, throwing her arms around the battleship, "It's been a long time since we've had someone new to train with!"
There was something in the girl's tone, that had the battleship raising a curious eyebrow, "What do you mean, Fubuki?"
"Um...it's a long story, Indestructible-san..." the girl trailed off, before waving her hands in front of her when she saw the look on the battleship's face, "But I can explain! We...haven't had any new girls in a long time. It's been a couple months since Shimikaze-chan arrived, and you're the first since then. It's...been hard on us."
Indestructible frowned, noting the sad tone in her...guide's...voice, "I know your navy wasn't the largest, but surely you still have..."
"We do," Fubuki replied with a sad smile, "But you're the first new girl in a long time still. I'm sorry...it's just a lot to think about. Can we go to the training?"
Clearly, she was uncomfortable talking about that. Indestructible...couldn't say she understood. But she
did understand having uncomfortable things she didn't want to talk about. She had her own, so she wasn't going to push Fubuki. She was still very uncomfortable going to this training, but if nothing else, it could be a chance to get some information.
I still don't know what to believe, or if Japan's our ally
. Maybe I can find out how their girls train, and use that if we have to fight?
Hopefully it wouldn't come to that, but as she had taught Hood, so long ago...always be prepared!
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"I was
so not bloody prepared for this..."
Indestructible looked out at the harbor, a thoroughly bemused expression on her face. A group of little destroyer girls- four of them looked even
younger than Fubuki! -were practically surfing across the waves, giggling at each other as they did so. A pair of light cruisers were trying to coral them, but it was a losing battle. Even she could see that, and she wasn't exactly experienced in dealing with girls like this.
"Close formation!" the shorter haired cruiser called out, water spray flinging up near her short orange skirt, "You can do better than this girls!"
"Hai!" Fubuki at least was taking it seriously, doing her utmost to stay in some semblance of formation with a younger-looking white haired destroyer.
"Don't be so hard on them Sendai," for her part, the longer haired cruiser spoke softly, looking at her...sister?
"We're here to train them Jintsuu," Sendai shot back, a fierce grin on her young face, "Ya know?"
Jintsuu sighed softly, "I know."
"Speaking of training...you here for that too?" at that, Sendai turned to flash her grin at Indestructible.
Who blinked, and nodded shortly, "Yes."
"Great! Get in the water then, and I'll show you how to ni..."
"It isn't a night battle, Onee-san."
Sendai grumbled at her sister, before turning back to running herd on the destroyers. Jintsuu sent an apologetic look at Indestructible, before sailing over to where the battleship stood on the pier. The long-haired cruiser smiled up at her older counterpart, holding a dainty hand out for the British girl to take. Indestructible hesitantly reached out, on edge for any potential tricks. There wouldn't be any however, as the light cruiser gently pulled her much heavier counterpart into the water.
Indestructible half-expected to sink like a rock, once she was in the water, no matter what the other girls were doing. However, the moment her feet- and her shoes, perhaps more importantly -touched the water, she started to float on the surface. Wide brown eyes looked down, as she experimentally kicked her foot. Water sprayed into the air like her drive shaft had pushed her old propeller, making her flinch back and a soft, almost silent, giggle come from Jintsuu.
Kind eyes turned onto the confused battleship, as the cruiser let go of her hand, pulling away slightly.
"Is this your first time in the water...?" the unasked question was obvious, in hindsight.
"HMS Indestructible," the battleship answered, looking down at her feet instead of at the other girl, "I...just came back yesterday. I've never been in the water like this before."
Jintsuu just smiled again, "It's like that for everyone. Follow me, I can show you how to sail. Do you know how to summon your rigging, Indestructible-san?"
"No..." the British girl replied, before looking down at her hands, "Fubuki said it would be instinctual..."
"Indestructible-san?" the cruiser noted that the other girl hadn't been talking to her.
And wasn't looking up at the question, for that matter. Indestructible took a deep breath, shutting her eyes and trying to avoid focusing on her situation...floating in a way she shouldn't. Instead, she focused on her old hull. The feeling of steel and wood, swaying in the waves underneath her. The bustle of men working their posts, training her weapons on targets. Focused on the memories of Jutland, of dueling SMS
Seydlitz after Invincible sank. On the memories of her mighty guns firing at distant...
"You did it!" Jintsuu's soft voice broke in, as Indestructible felt...
Well, felt the sudden weight of her old hull on her back. Turning her head, the battleships brown eyes widened, as her equally brown hair moved out of the way. Hanging from her back, was a curved piece of wood and metal, in the form of her old hull. The old paint scheme was even there, as she ran a hand along a miniature version of her old A-turret. Fourteen inch guns shined dully in the sunlight, as her shocked gaze reflected off the water.
Seeing the 'rigging' on the other girls was one thing. Seeing and
feeling her old hull...now that was another thing entirely.
"I did," she finally whispered, shaking her head slightly, "Right, how exactly do I use this...Jintsuu?"
The cruiser just smiled demurely, "Follow me, Indestructible-san. The targets here are set up for the destroyers...we need you on the battleship range."
Indestructible nodded, pushing her...boilers...to follow along with the light cruiser. All her attention was on moving however, so she failed to notice a blonde destroyer joining the others, curious red eyes following along with her.
"Yuudachi-chan!"
"Fubuki-chan! Who was that battleship, poi?"
The blonde destroyer, returned from her patrol, looked in the direction she had seen a brown haired kanmusu go. She hadn't recognized the girl, like, she was
new. Very new, since Yuudachi thought she had already known all the battleships. She was just with the Hiei sisters after all!
"That was Indestructible-san," Fubuki answered with a happy smile, "I've been showing her around, since the Admiral asked me to! She's really nice, but a bit overwhelmed by everything. I'm glad Jintsuu-san is showing her how to use her rigging."
Yuudachi's eyebrow went up, a questioning look in her red eyes, "Indestructible? Isn't that, like, a British name?"
"Yes," her friend nodded, "Admiral said he wasn't sure how she was summoned here, but he's trying to get her home. I think it's because she's Hiei-san's older sister."
"Hiei-san's..." the taller destroyer blinked slowly, "I didn't know she had an onee-san, poi!"
On the other hand, if her older sister was British, that was probably why. Yuudachi wasn't like her friend, and didn't really look at other navies. If she had, she might have known something this important! And if Indestructible-san had just now been summoned, that meant she probably hadn't met her sisters yet. They might not even know she was here! Yuudachi wondered how they would feel, when they did find out. She knew if Shiratsuyu or Shigure had come back and she hadn't been told at the time, she would have been
soooo mad.
Like, seriously. If Indestructible was their sister, they should know she was here!
"I don't think she likes thinking about it," Fubuki spoke softly, as the two girls maneuvered around practice rounds from Sendai and Hibiki, "she seems really sad whenever Hiei-san was mentioned."
"But, they're her sisters, poi!" Yuudachi protested, the idea of being sad at having her sisters rather...hard to believe.
"Yeah, but she has her
British sisters too. I don't think Indestructible-san knows how to act around Hiei-san and the others."
A frown crossed Yuudachi's face, "But wouldn't she want to meet them?"
"I think she does, but doesn't know how to talk to them," her friend sighed softly, "I'm so sorry for her...I can't imagine what Indestructible-san feels like."
Neither can I, poi! But I wouldn't want my sisters to not know I was here. I need to go back to Hiei-san, and let her know!
Decision made, Yuudachi let a cocky grin cross her face, as she jumped in front of Fubuki. She wouldn't let her friend do better at training than her, even considering the situation!
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It was a tired destroyer who left the training area, sometime later that day. Waving goodbye at Fubuki, who ran towards the battleship training grounds, Yuudachi squared her shoulders and marched off in the direction of the battleship
dorms. Hiei-san had said she and her sisters would be there, if she needed anything. Something about wanting to rest after a long patrol. It made them easier to find at least, and right now, she needed that. Because Yuudachi wanted them to know about their sister, for sure! They needed to know, since they might not have ever met their sister, if what Fubuki had said was true, poi!
And she couldn't imagine what that felt like, having always had her sisters with her, until she had sunk at the Solomon Islands during the war. And even after the war, her elder sisters like Shigure had always been there when she needed them. So, yeah, Yuudachi couldn't imagine what Hiei and her sisters felt like, not having Indestructible around.
It was why she was heading here, even though Fubuki had said it was better to wait.
I don't want to wait, poi. Hiei-san needs to know her sister is here!
"Hey Yuudachi-chan," Mutsu was the first battleship to notice her though, as she sat outside the building, reading some book.
"Hey Mutsu-san!" Yuudachi waved at the larger woman, "Have you seen Hiei-san?"
The battleship tapped her chin, a sly grin on her face, "Why are you asking?"
"Mutsu-saaaannn..." the blonde pouted, used to the elder girls sense of humor by now.
A giggle answered that, as Mutsu put her book down, "Sorry, sorry. If you're looking for her, Hiei is with her sisters in their dorm. Something about planning a new meal."
Yuudachi couldn't help a shiver, "Oh no, poi..."
Even the Nightmare of Solomon shuddered at the idea of Hiei-san's cooking.
"Yup," Mutsu just smiled again, with a rueful headshake for good measure, "Good luck, Yuudachi-chan!"
Waving at the battleship, Yuudachi squared her shoulders, and marched into the dorm. She could survive this, and she needed to let the older girls know their sister was here! Looking at it that way, she could go through any number of Hiei's dishes. This was too important to wait or put off, because of a little worry about food! Right, with that in mind, it was a lot easier to focus. Focus, as the blonde little destroyer walked past the various battleship dorms, intent on one in particular. The one claimed by the Hiei sisters, who tended to sleep together, despite the fact they could have double rooms instead.
Though, there were only three of them...they might not want one of them to be alone or with someone else. Regardless of the reason, it wasn't that hard and didn't take that long to reach their room. There was the sound of the familiar voices behind the door, getting a smile from the destroyer girl. She had enjoyed her patrol with the Hiei sisters, and it was nice to see them again so soon! No matter the reason.
"Hiei-san?" Yuudachi knocked on the door.
"Come on in Yuudachi-chan!" the familiar voice called out, as a softly smiling Haruna opened the door for her sister.
"Nice to see you again," Haruna's smile widened ever so slightly, as she moved aside to let the destroyer in.
Yuudachi just grinned, "Nice to see you too Haruna-san!"
"So why are you here, Yuudachi-chan?" Hiei broke in, standing over a suspiciously smoking pot.
"I met a new girl at training today," the destroyer answered, "A British girl, poi!"
The lead battleship of her class turned at that, food forgotten, "A British girl? Who was it?"
"Indestructible-san!"
Perhaps because of the normal high-energy of these girls, even Haruna, the sudden
silence was almost spooky. Yuudachi awkwardly looked at the Hiei sisters, who all wore the same identical look of shock on their faces. A look that only lasted as long as it took their eldest sister to process what had been said, before she let out a rather high-pitched noise, and bolted for the door, her sisters quick to follow.
"Onee-sama!"
Leaving behind a confused Yuudachi, who let out a plaintive, "Poi?"